Studies of Achilles for ‘Chiron and Achilles’ 1922 - 1925

John Singer Sargent made these studies of Achilles for ‘Chiron and Achilles’ without a date and with graphite on paper. You can really see how he’s working out the tension and form in the figure's pose. I imagine Sargent pacing around his studio, maybe thinking about classical sculpture, or Ingres, or the dance, trying to find that perfect balance of dynamism and grace. The graphite lines are layered and smudged, really giving a sense of movement and the artist's searching eye. Look how the arm in the lower left flexes, rendered with such assured strokes. It's a study in its own right, capturing the power and potential of the human form. Sargent, like many artists, was in conversation with the past, reinterpreting classical themes through his own lens. Each stroke feels both tentative and deliberate, echoing across time with the dynamism of Michelangelo and the precision of Degas, artists with a deep fascination of the human figure in motion.